Wright-Patterson AFB History

8/8/2019 Wright-Patterson AFB History

1/84


2/84


3/84


4/84

Aeronautical Systems Center

T he Aeronautical Systems Center team, together with other defense activities andindustry, develops, acquires, modernizes and sustains the worlds best aerospacesystems.The Aeronautical Svstems Centers emblem

represents the heritage and mission of theCenter. The emblem portrays progress inthe field of flight from the early WrightFlyer, upward through a symbolic delta wingaircraft to a symbolic aerospace vehicle. The ~outline of a mans head represents the ICenters valuable work force, with itsdiversified experience and skill in man-agement, technical, and administrativefields. The light blue background repre-sents the atmosphere which is pierced,through advancements in science and tech-nology, with integrity and wisdom unto the farreaches of space (the dark blue area). The em-blem bears the Air Force colors, ultramarine blueand golden yellow.

3

Click On Images For High-Quality Picture
http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/3a.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/3a.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/3a.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/3a.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/3a.html


5/84

Lineage and Commandersof Aeronautical Systems CenterApril 19 17 - Aviation Section, Army Signal Corps, contained a small engineering

department consisting of sections for Engine Design and (Air)plane Design, locatedin Washington, D.C., under direction of:

Mr. Henry Souther

24 May 19 17 - Aircraft Engineering Division created within the Aviation Section, ArmySignal Corps, by combining the former engineering department with the InspectionDepartment of the Signal Corps Aeronautical Division. Division under the directionof:

Maj Henry SoutherMay - August 19 17

2 August 1917 - Equipment Division established within the Signal Corps under thedirection of Co1 Edward A. Deeds.

1 1 August 19 17 - Majority of officers and civilians of Aircraft Engineering Divisiontransferred to Equipm ent Division.

27 August 1917 - Equipment Division reconstituted. Under new organizationalscheme, the Engine and Plane Design Sections placed under the DivisionsProduction Department.

13 October 19 17 - Engine Design and Plane Design Sections transferred from theEquipment Divisions Production Department to the new Aircraft EngineeringDepartment (headquartered at McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio, from 4 December19 17). New department under the direction of:

Lt Col Virginius E. ClarkOctober 1917 - January 1918

Lt Co1 Jesse Ci. VincentFebruary - August 19 18

4


6/84

24 May 1918 - Signal Corps Aviation Section disestablished and its engineering andprocurement functions taken over by the Bureau of Aircraft Production (BAP) and theDivision of Military Aeronautics (DMA) of the newly created Air Service.

3 1 August 1918 - Aircraft Engineering Division created within the BAP by combiningthe former Aircraft Engineering and Production Engineering Departments. Newdivision under the direction of:

Lt Col Jesse G. VincentSeptember - November 1918

Co1 Thurman H. BaneNovember 1918 - January 1919

1 Jan 1919 - Technical Division constituted by consolidating the Airplane EngineeringDepartment (BAP), the Technical Section (DMA), and the Testing Squadron of WilburWright Field. New division under the direction of:

Col Thurman H. BaneJanuary - March 1919

13 March 1919 - Technical Division redesignated the Engineering Division. Divisionunder the direction of:

Col Thurman H. BaneMarch 1919 - January 1923

Maj L. W. McIntoshJanuary 1923 - July 1924

Maj John F. CurryJuly 1924 - October 1926

12 October 1926 - Materiel Division created by combining the Engineering Divisionwith the Supply Division (including the Field Service Section at the Fairfield AirDepot), the Industrial War Plans Section, and the Materiel Disposal Section of theformer Air Service (redesignated the Army Air Corps, 2 July 1926). New divisiongiven procurement responsibility which previously had been controlled in

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/5a.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/5b.html


7/84

Washington, D.C. Moved to Wright Field in the spring of 1927. New division underthe direction of:

Brig Cien William E. CiilmoreOctober 1926 - June 1929

Brig Gen Benjamin D. FouloisJune 1929 - June 1930

Brig Gen Henry C. PrattJuly 1930 - March 1935

Brig Gen Augustine W. RobinsApril 1935 - February 1939

Brig Gen George H. BrettFebruary 1939 - October 1939

2 October 1939 - Chief of Materiel Division moved to Washington, D.C., while theassistant chief position remained at Wright Field. The assistant chiefs were:

Lt Co1 Oliver P. EcholsOctober 1939 - December 1940

VACANTDecember 1940 - January 194 1

Brig Gen George C. KenneyFebruary 1941 - March 1942

Brig Gen Arthur W. VanamanMarch 1942 - March 1942

Experimental Engineering Section of the Materiel Divisionwas under the direction of:

Lt Col Frank lin 0. CarrollJune 1940-March 1942

6

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/6a.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/6b.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/6c.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/6d.html


8/84

9 March 1942 - Supply and maintenance functions moved from Materiel Division to AirService Command. Materiel Division was redesignated the Materiel Command.

16 March 1942 - Functions at Wright Field renamed Materiel Center under the directionof:

Brig Gen Arthur W. VanamanMarch 1942 - March 1943

Maj Gen Charles E. BranshawMarch 1943 - April 1943

Engineering Division of the Materiel Center continued under the direction of:Brig Gen Franklin 0. Carroll

April 1942 - April 1943

1 April 1943 - HQ Materiel Command moved from Washington, D.C. to Wright Field andabsorbed Materiel Center. Materiel Command was under the direction of:

Maj Gen Charles E. BranshawApril 1943 - May 1944

Maj Gen Bennett E. Meyers (Acting)June 1944 - July 1944

Brig Gen Kenneth 8. Wolfe Maj Gen EranshawJuly 1944 - August 1944

Engineering Division of the Materiel Command continued under the direction of:Brig Gen Franklin 0. CarrollApril 1943 - August 1944

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/7a.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/7a.html


9/84

31 August 1944 - Materiel and Air Service Commands merged to form Air TechnicalService Command (ATSC). ATSCs Engineering Division was under the direction of:

6 March 1946 - Air Technical Service Command was redesignated Air MaterielCommand (AMC). Engineering Division of AMC operated under the direction of:

Brig Gen Laurence. C. CraigieMarch 1946 - August 1947

Brig Gen Alden R. CrawfordAugust 1947 - August 1949

Brig Gen R. P. SwoffordSeptember 1949 - April 1951

January 1950 - Air Force Chief of Staff separated research and development from AirMateriel Command and established a separate Air Research and DevelopmentCommand (ARDC)

2 April 1951 - ARDC established the Air Development Force (Provisional).

7 June 1951 - Air Development Force (Provisional) became the Wright Air DevelopmentCenter (WADC) headquartered at Wright Field under the command of:

Maj Cien Frederick R. DentApril 195 1 February 1952

Mai Gen Dent

H

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/8c.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/8c.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/8b.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/8a.html


10/84

Maj Cien Donald L. PuttFebruary 1952 - June 1952

Maj Cien Albert Ci. BoydJune 1952 - July 1955

Maj Gen Thomas L. BryanJuly 1955 - September 1957

Maj Gen Stanley T. WraySeptember 1957 - December 1959 Maj Gen Wray

15 December 1959 - Reorganization of AKDC merged Wright Air Development Centerand AKDCs Directorate of Systems Management into Wright Air DevelopmentDivision (WADD). WADD remained at Wright Field under the direction of:

P Maj Gen Stanley T. WrayDecember 1959 - July 1960

Maj Gen Joseph R. HolzappleJuly 1960 - March 1961

1 April 1961 _ Air Force Systems Command (AFSC) succeeded AKDC. Under therealignment, WADD merged with the Aeronautical Systems Center of Air MaterielCommand to form Aeronautical Systems Division (ASD). ASD was headquartered atWright Field under the command of:

Maj Gen W. Austin DavisApril 1961 - July 1962

Maj Gen Robert G. RueggJuly 1962 - July 1964

Maj Gen Charles H. Terhune, Jr.July 1964 - 1 June 1967

Maj Gen Davis

Maj Gen Harry E. GoldsworthyJune 1967 - July 1969

9

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/9b.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/9c.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/9e.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/9e.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/9d.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/9c.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/9b.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/9a.html


11/84

Maj Gen Terhone

Maj Gen Lee V. GossickAugust 1969 - June 1970

Lt Gen James T. StewartJune 1970 - August 1976

Lt Gen George H. SylvesterSeptember 1976 - March 1979

Lt Gen Lawrence A. SkantzeMarch 1979 - August 1982

Lt Gen Thomas H. McMullenAugust 1982 - July 1986

Lt Gen William E. ThurmanJuly 1986 _ July 1988

Lt Gen J. Michael LohJuly 1988 _ May 1990

Lt Gen Thomas R. Ferguson, Jr.June 1990 - June 1992

Lf Gen McMullen

1 July 1992 - HQ Air Force merged Air Force Systems Command and Air ForceLogistics Command into Air Force Materiel Command. Aeronautical SystemsDivision was redesignated Aeronautical Systems Center (ASC). ASC remained atWright Field under the command of:

b Lt Gen Thomas R. Ferguson, Jr.II

July 1992 _ May 19933 Lt Gen James A. Fain, Jr.

May 1993 - October 1994

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/10a.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/10d.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/10g.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/10g.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/10g.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/10g.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/10h.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/10g.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/10f.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/10E.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/10d.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/10c.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/10b.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/10a.html


12/84

Lt Gen Richard M. ScofieldOctober 1994 May 1996

Lt Gen Kenneth E. Eickmann

m id

May 1996 May 1998

Lt Gen Robert F. RaggioJune 1998 Present

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/11a.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/11c.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/11b.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/11a.html


13/84

Beginningwith theWrightBrothers

A viation development in Daytondates back to the early 1900swith the fledgling efforts of Orv ille andWilbur Wright. From 1899 to 1903,working out of their bicycle shop indowntown Dayton, they studied theprinciples of aeronautical engineering,aerodynamics, and propulsion thatenabled them to design, build, and flykites, then gliders, and eventuallyairplanes.

12

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/12b.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/12a.html


14/84

The Wright brothers first tested theirtheories over the windy sand dunes of fillDevil Hill near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina,making their epochal first flight of 12seconds on 17 December 1903. In 1904and 1905, the brothers perfected theirskills , turning their Wright Flyer into thefirst practical airplane, capable of fully-controlled flight. This development tookplace ten miles east of Dayton in a fieldcalled Huffman Prairie near Simms Station,a local train depot.

On 17 December 1903, Orville Wtighf made the historic first flight at TO-35 A.M., lasting 12 seconds.

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/13bottom.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/13bottom.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/13top.html


15/84

After suspending flying activities to concentrate on negotiating contracts for the saleof the Flyer, establishing companies for marketing the plane in America and Europe, andobtaining the final patent for the control system, Wilbur Wright went to Europe todemonstrate their accomplishments. With Wilbur in France, Orville left for Washington,D.C. in 1908, to conduct acceptance tests for the U.S. Army Signal Corps at Fort Meyer,Virginia. Unfortunately, one of the propellers split during the tests causing the plane tocrash. The accident killed the passenger, Lt Thomas E. Selfridge, and severely injuredOrville.

After his recovery, Orville joined hisbrother in Europe, flying for large crowds inFrance and Italy as well as training studentpilots. In 1909, Orville returned to the UnitedStates to resume the acceptance tests at FortMeyer. On the last day of the tests he not onlymet the governments speed requirement butearned an extra $5000 by flying 42.5 milesper hour, 2.5 mph faster than specified by theArmy. On 2 August 1909, the Army SignalCorps took delivery from the Wright brothers 01Signal Corps Airplane No. 1 at a total cost of$30.000.

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/15rightbottom.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/15righttop.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/15bottomleft.html


16/84

Returning to Ohio, the brothersstarted the aviation industry in Daytonwith the incorporation of the WrightCompany in November 1909. A yearlater, the company was manufacturingtwo planes a month. Between 19 10 and1916, the Wright brothers operated thecompanys school of Aviation and theWright Exhibition Company fromHuffman Prairie. The school advertised,four hours of actual practice in the airand such instruction in the principles offlying machines as is necessary toprepare the pupil to become a competent and expert operato r. It was during this timethat Lieutenant Henry Hap Arnold, future chief of the Army Air Forces, learned to fly. Atotal of 1 19 pilots, both military and civilian (including three women and severalCanadians) earned their wings at Simms Station.

Lt Henry H. ArnoldLt Henry Ii. Arnold graduated from the0.S. M//h%?fyAcademy at West Point in1907. Arnold mcaived flight instmctlon atthe Wright School ofAvIation in lgll, andwhile them formed a lifelong Mendship withthe Wright%. When Arnold ratumed toOayton 01 lgZg, as a major and Com-mander of the FahUeid A ir Depot, O rvil leWright often was a guest In Arno lds home.Amold also sewed as Executhfe Officer totha Chief of Materiel LUvklon at WdghtField from 1930 to 1931. Arnold laterearned the Cm-star supergrade of Generalof the Army for his service dwfng WorldWar II.

I6

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/16bottom.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/16top.html


17/84

1 n 1907, the Aeronautical Divis ion1 was established within the Office of

Establishmentof SignalCorpsAviation andWorld War I

_the Chief Signal Officer of the Army andput in charge of all matters pertaining to military ballooning, air machines, and allkindred subjects on hand. The Signal Corps fleet consisted of two balloons and onedirigible , when in 1909, the Army acquired Signal Corps Airplane No. 1. Congress,however, limited further spending on milit ary aeronautics so that in 1910 the totalAeronautical Division consisted of only four airvehicles and 27 men.

Many Europeans viewed the Wright brothersinvention as a potentially powerful war machine andconsequently, embraced the technology, adding airunits to their conventional military forces. TheUnited States, on the other hand, isolated from theimpending threat of war and slowed by patentdisputes among aircraft manufacturers, neglectedto see the advantages of aviation. The Sign al Corps req uired the Wr&7ht airplane be

designed for wagon transpoti.

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/17middle.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/17bottom.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/17bottom.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/17bottom.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/17middle.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/17top.html


18/84

When World War I began in the summer of 1914, the United States was ill-prepared toassist the allies in fighting an air war. In July 1914 the Army Signal Corps AviationSection, the successor to the Aeronautical Division, had 30 aircraft and 40 pilots. Whenthe United States entered the war in April 1917, the numbers had risen to some 200airplanes, none combat worthy, and fewer than 1,200 men assigned to the AviationSection. At the time of the Armistice on 11 November 1918, of the total 16,831airplanes the Army had received, only 6,287 had been delivered to the AmericanExpeditionary Force. Of these, none were of American design. Most were BritishDeHavillands with two French Le Peres.

Co1 Edward A. Deedslndusblai tst Edward A. Deeds was a

key memb er of the Ai& PmducttonBoard, a body created to coordiate ai lactiv i t ies of the at lO S airwet? m anufac-turers during the massive bid/d-up forWorld War i . A pmminent membe r of theDayton con nwdty, he was President of theLlekw compa ny, past Pm&lent of theNational Cash Regisb?r Com pany, andPresident of the Dayton Meteis Prod uctsCompa ny. in 1917, he we* comm issionedas a colonel in the Signai Corps Reserveand appointed Chief of the Signal CorpsEquipmt Diviskm, responsible fordevei~ent end supply of al l Army&we*.

Colon.4 Edward A Deeds Chief ofSign al Corps Equipm ent Division.

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/18bottom.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/18bottom.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/18bottom.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/18top.html


19/84

Responding to the Signal Corps urgent need to train pilots, Edward A. Deeds, a localDayton industrialist, arranged in 19 17 for the lease of over 2,000 acres of land due eastof Dayton in the Miami Conservancy Districts Mad River flood plain, for use as a SignalCorps Aviation School and flying field. Encompassing the old Huffman Prairie Flying Field,this area was named Wilbur Wright Field in memory of the elder Wright bro ther who haddied of typhoid fever in 1912.



20/84

Aeronautical p rior to the war, the U.S. Congress hadestablished the National AdvisorySystems Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) on 3 March1915. Congress foremost concern was theCenter starts potential capability for America to provide aneffective aerial force for its impendingat McCookFieldinvolvement in the war. Lacking Americanengineers with military aircraft designexperience, the NACA, along with the Armyand Navy, planned to build its own researchand experimentation laboratory at LangleyField, Virginia. With Langley Field constructionslowed by warmpressures, the Aviation Sectionof the Signal Corps decided to pursue anotherlocation for its aviation research.

Charles l? Kettering 'I'3Ohioian Char les F. Ketter ing from .B

Loudonvi lle and Dayton made signi i7cantcontr ibutions to the auto indusby from hi scompa ny, Dayton Engrneer ing LaboretodesCompa ny (Delco) . Among his inventionswas the sel f-star ter for automobi les, whic hel iminated the need for hand-cranking.Ketter ing also sewed on the boerd of theDayton-W rtght Compa ny. Dur ing WorldWar I, Ketter iw designed and but/tthe worlds fhst golded missile,the Kettedng Aer ial Torpedo,nicknamed the Bug. This f ly ingbomb wes fhst tested on 2 October1918 with mixed msults, and wesnot used In World War 1. r-r-

20

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/20.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/20.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/20.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/20.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/20.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/20.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/20.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/20.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/20.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/20.html


21/84

Answering the Signal Corps request to find another location for an aeronauticalexperimental facility, Colonel Edward A. Deeds, with the advice of Daytons Charles F.Kettering, Orville Wright, and Major Jesse G. Vincent, Chief of the Engine Design Sectionof the Equipment Divis ion, selected a site north of downtown Dayton for construc tion of atemporary experimenta l engineering field where all Army aircra ft engineering andprocurement functions could be consolidated in one area. Construc tion of McCook F ieldbegan in October 19 17 and was named in honor of a loca l fam ily, the FightingMcCooks, that sent 17 men to fight for the North in the Civ il War. This field became thehome of the Signal Corps (later Air Service) Airplane Engineering Department. McCookField was outfitted with the best that money could buy in 19 17 for flight testing. Thisincluded a sod airfield and a 1 ,OOO-foot long by loo-foot wide macadam and cinderrunway for use during inclement weather to prevent damage to the aircra ft and itsinstrumentation. This early flight test instrumentation often amounted to little more thanan altitude barograph with an ink pen tracing on a rotating paper drum, balanced with alog book on the pilot s knees.

21

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/21.html


22/84

Colonel Deeds, as a member of the Aircraft Production Board, also was acutely awareof the nations lack of aircraft production facilities. He urged several of his friends andbusiness associates, including Charles F. Kettering. toform a private enterprise for the production ofwarplanes. In supporting this effort, Orville Wrightgave his name to the Dayton-Wright AirplaneCompany, and sat on the board of directors.

The Dayton-Wright factory (previously occupied byDelco Light and subsequently part of the GeneralMotors truck complex) was located in the south-Dayton suburb of Moraine. Dayton-Wright aircraftwere flight tested at Deeds nearby estate, MoraineFarm, one of the first private airfields in the country.By the wars end Dayton-Wright, under license fromDeHavilland, had produced 3,106 DH-4s, anAmerican version of the famous British-designed, all-wood, two-seat biplane, day bomber. Powered by anAmerican-built, 12cylinder Liberty engine, the aircraftwas known to many as the Liberty Plane. It sawlimited use on the front, and was used mostly as atrainer.

In the years following the war, McCookengineers, located 10 miles north of thefactory, tested and modified the DH-4. Bythe time the aircraft was retired from servicein the 1930s. it had over 60 distinct modeldesignations, including models foremergency medical transport, crop dusting,photo reconnaissance, air racing, and mailand messenger transport.

Another aircraft built at the Moraine plant,and acquired by the Air Service was theCurtiss JN-4. The Jenny became the primary trainer used by American and Canadianpilots. Nearly 400 of these two-seat, tandem biplanes, with stick aileron control, werebuilt. After the war, this airplane became the favorite for circus daredevils andbarnstorming stunt pilots.

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/22bottom.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/22middle.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/22top.html


23/84

For the decade after the war, the Airplane Engineering Department, renamed theAirplane Engineering Division, continued to serve as the center of all Army aviationresearch and development. McCook engineers kept the skies humming with flight testingfrom both McCook and Wilbur W right Fields. In 1919 alone there were 1,276 test flightsrecorded by McCooks Flight Test Section. McCook engineers tested numerous planesincluding American, allied, and captured enemy planes. One early native model, the VCP-1 was designed by resident engineers, Alfred V. Verville and Virginius E. Clark. Anotheraircraft tested was the MB-l, eventually used as the standard mail plane. Othe r aircraft

Co1 Thurman H. BaneAfter senda with General penhlngs punh%-eex&wdition to Mexico, Thumwn H. Bane 68~8~to the Amy Signal Corps Aviatkm Sectron assacmtary of the Aviaffon School at Noftfrfsfand,San Mego, Cdhbmla. Without fom@ ~lnewlngbaining,& devtsed a course in OerwrsuUiw aisdd&an. He also asswned dkuctkwgf HotWsla~saemnautlcal shops. In January lglS,, aft& swvlngin aeronautkai-dated dWtes in Wash/* D.C.,Bane was placed In charge of McCook l%sfd whemhe omanized the Air Serv ims EnahmwlmtoMsfon.At thssame t/me, he bmdad ati .&I Se&&e Schoolof Application, the forerunner of the Air FqwInstitute of Technotogy. W?#ife n chafpe ofMcCook,6ana Inbodmed modem IndusWat methods ofresearch, design, and manufeclure; and twuhwed adlvlslon of labor between Industry and the Amy%in-house aemnaoticat development eRor&. Colonel Thurman H. Bane, Chief of AirService Engineeting Division.

23

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/23bottom.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/23bottom.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/23bottom.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/23topright.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/23topleft.html


24/84

included the MB-2 through MB-7 series, themost successful being the M&3, a single-seat pursuit aircraft with a water-cooledengine, and synchronized machine guns.

Beginning in 1922, international airraces brought aviation back into thelimelight, pitting the Air Service and privateindustry against each other for trophies andmoney. At McCook Field, engineeringachievements in support of these races ledto great advancements in propulsion andaerodynamics. Air Service pilots flewnumerous versions of racing aircraft builtby several manufacturers, beginning withthe Verville R-l and progressing through theCurtis+Navy R-8.

Unfortunately, researching and testingthe limits of men and machines often endedin disaster and loss of life. Under theleadership of Colonel Edward L. Hoffman,the Engineering Divisions Parachute Sectionpioneered the development and use of free-fall parachutes. Lieutenant Harold R. Harriswas the first Air Service pilot to be savedwith a parachute. This event inspired theformation of the Caterpillar Club, whosemembers included any pilot whose life wassaved by a parachute. Charles A. Lindberghwas the first person to qualify twice formembership in the club.

24



25/84


26/84


27/84

Lt James H. Jimmy DoolittleUpon Americas entry into World War I, James H.

Doolittle enlisted in the AviaUon Section of the Arty SignalCorp s. After receiving his degree in military aerona uticsend completing f l ight training, Dool i f fle made hi&my as thefi rst pi lot to f ly coas6to-coast in less than a day in a modi-f ied DeHavMa nd DH-4. Only a few days after that night, 1Dooliffle was ; assigned to the Air Services EngineeringSchool at McCo ok Field. Interrupting his graduate studies at 1MIT in aemnauticai sciences, Dool i f fle perfommd a se&s ofgrueling f l ight acceleration tests in a Fokker PW-7 atMcCo ok in March 1924. Dur ing these tests, he drove hiscafl to the point of structural felkmz to determine ff ightloads on the wings under extreme condit ions whi le barely Lt . !a

i IRe> receiving his doctorate, he returned to McCo okField to continue f l ight testing from Apr i l 1927 to January 1929. In 1929, the Air C orpsgranted Dool i t tle a leave of absence to direct the Ful l Fl ight Laboratory at the request ofthe Guggenheim Fund. There Dool i f fle conducted a ser ies of epoch-making tests usinginstruments instead of visual cues for take -offs, in-fl ight navigation, and landing at nightand in edverse weather, in B Consol idated NY-2 mi l i tary trainer aIrwaR.

During the 1920s end early 1930 s. Doolittle also comp eted in several air race s. In1925, he won the Schneider Cup Seaplane Race, followed In 1931 by the Bendix Trophy fora transcontinental Sight from Cal i fornia to Ohio to New Jersey. Final ly in 1932, he won theThompson Trophy.

During this time, the stockpile of Liberty engines led McCook engineers to designmodifications to complement new airframes. Further developments during the 1920sincluded the concept of the electric ignition system, as well as the invention of anti-knockfuels by Delco Laboratories headed by Charles F. Kettering. Adding lead to fuel allowedengines to achieve greater speeds and higher altitudes. Continued research resulted inthe development of the 700-hp. 18 cylinder W engine, an air-cooled power plantenhanced with a supercharger. Other developments included improved navigational aidssuch as the earth-conductor compass and radios, improved weather forecastingtechniques, stronger propellers, advancements in aerial photography, and the design oflanding and wing lights for night flying.

During these years aircraft were, for the first time, designed to fulfill a specific role.Because the majority of conservative military strategists assigned the airplane to anobservation role, McCook Field engineers focused most of their effort in this direction.In all, they tested I4 different observation aircraft, starting in 192 I with the XCO-I andending with the XCO-GA.

27

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/27.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/27.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/27.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/27.html


28/84

Even though the focus was toward observation, and later transport, Brigadier GeneralWilliam Bil ly Mitchell continued to champion the use of air power for strategic andtactical purposes. Consequently, he urged that all Air Service pilots be trained inbombing and strafing techniques, using equipment such as the electrical synchronizer forthe machine gun, bomb sights, bomb hoists, and internal bomb racks, all innovationsdeveloped at McCook Field.

Brig Gen William B. Billy MitchellWil l /am S. Mitchel l enl isted es e pr ivate

in the 1st Wisconsin Infantry on 14 May189e. and wes commissioned es e secondi ieotenent in the netionai enny thm e weeksiater and the Regelar Amly aRer theSpenish-Amedcen War. He eerned hispi lot s wiws in e&y 1917, pay/w fw hisown cMtian f ly ing lessons. Dur ing service~4th the American Expedit ionary Forces InFrance, Mitchel l won nunwous U.S. AirService and foreign decoretions.

Mitchel l was appointed Assistant Chiefof the Air Sew/~ In 1920 and promoted tobrigadier general. He wes a frequen tvisi tor to both McCook and Wilbur WdghtFields, paying close attention to theengineering developm ente and expwi-mer i ts teking place. Mitchel l wes theoriginator of the Round-the - World fl ight.

Big Gen Wi//iem 8. MitcheN

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/28.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/28.html


29/84

General Mitchell arranged for British aircraftdesigner Walter Barling to come to McCook Fieldin 19 19 to design and build a long-range bombercapable of cartying a bomb load sufficient to sinka battleship. The XBNLI Barling bomber,weighing 43,569 pounds, never lived up toMitchells expectations, but set several worldrecords and paved the way for the development ofthe first successful big bomber.

In 1925, the role assigned the Engineering Division shifted from design and buildingof aircraft to acquiring and evaluating aircraft prototypes submitted by the commercialaircraft industry. By allowing aircraft acquisition to become a commercial process, theAir Service forced developers to compete with each other in order to produce qualityaircraft. Consequently McCook engineers were left free to concentrate on developingstandards unique to military aircraft, reviewing designs, modifying and testing procuredmachines, and developing ancillary equipment to enhance military aircraft.

29

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/29middle.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/29top.html


30/84

The Moveto WrightFieldI 1926, the Engineering Divis ion and the SupplyDivision combined with the new responsibility ofprocurement to form the Materiel Division. The new

division required better quarters than the poor facili tiesand limited runway that McCook Field had to offer.Threatened with losing Air Service activities, John H.Patterson, President of the National Cash RegisterCorporation in Dayton, led a local campaign to raise

money to purchase a tract of land large enoughfor a new air field. After the elder Pattersondied in 1922, his son, Frederick , continued theeffort by organizing the Dayton Air ServiceCommittee, a coalition of prominent Daytoniansand businessmen. Their intensive campaignraised $425,000 in two days, enough topurchase 4,520 acres east of Dayton, includingWilbur Wright Field, already leased by the AirService, and Huffman Prairie . In August 1924,the Air Service accepted Daytons gift.

-DBLY .,NJZ-WS /

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/30bottom.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/30bottom.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/30bottom.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/30middle.html


31/84

After a slow start in receiving funds and beginning construction, Wright Field wasofficial ly dedicated on 12 October 1927. The McCook laboratories and engineeringshops moved into buildings which eventually became Area Bs downtown. Theyconsisted of a main laboratory, a final assembly hangar and adjacent shops, adynamometer laboratory, wind tunnels, propeller test facil ities, an airship hangar, anarmament range, a foundry, and other supporting facil ities.

The Power Plant Laboratory continued itssearch for more powerful, efficient engines asaircraft became larger. Development of Prestoneanti-freeze allowed the older liquid-cooledengines to function with considerably smallerradiators. Further development of air-cooledradial engines included the Wright Whirlwind, thePratt and Whitney Wasp, and the g-cylinder WrightCyclone.

31



32/84

While the private sector was charged with designing aircraft, the Equipment Branchdeveloped accessories to allow aircraft to perform more effectively. Some of thesedevelopments included improved navigation and communications equipment, cockpitinstrumentation, electrically-heated flight clothing, and in-flight refueling equipment. ThePhysiological Research Laboratory led pioneering research in pilot exposure to extremesof speed, pressure, and temperature.Meanwhile, at Wright Field, construction continued, aided by such Depression-drivenfederally funded work programs as the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Among theseveral projects undertaken, WPA laborers dug by hand a basement beneath building 16which expanded space for the Materials Branch. Another project, the uniquely art deco-styled building 12, completed in 1937, housed the first Army Aeronautical Museum, theforerunner to the U.S. Air Force Museum.

Between August 1925 and July 1931, the area that had been Wilbur Wright Fieldbecame part of Wright Aeld. On 1 July 1931, however, Wright Field was divided. All ofthe land east of Huffman Prairie was designated Patterson Field in honor of DaytonianLieutenant Frank S. Patterson who perished in a DH-4 while testing an experimentalmachine gun synchronizer. From 1931 to 1948, the two fields remained separate withengineering functions at Wright Field and logistics functions at the Fairfield Air Depotlocated at Patterson Field.

32



33/84


34/84


35/84


36/84


37/84

Ml ile already involved in supplyingarmament, aircraft, and equipment tothe European Allies under the provision of the Wright FieldLend-Lease Act of 1941 , the Materiel Divisionaccelerated operations in 1942 to support Throughdirect involvement by the United States inWorld War II. Prior to that time, in June 1941, World War IIthe Army Air Corps had been redesignated theArmy Air Forces, with the engineering functionseparated from the logistics function, and thelogistics activities moved to a separatecommand. In 1942, Materiel Division becameMateriel Command, and was charged with responsibility for the planning, development,testing, evaluation, modification, contracting, and coordinating production for all Armyaircraft deployed worldwide.In order to provide the safest and most effective aircraft as quickly as possible tofront-line troops , the engineering activities at Wright i?eld, which had been renamedMateriel Center, quickly expanded the work force and began working 24-hou r days toprocess information from the accelerated aircraft testing. Highest priority was given toWright Fields grass runways. Concrete was poured and the new, hardened runwaysopened by February 1942, just in time to accommodate testing of the 120,000 poundXB-29. At the time the runways were being paved, intelligence sources discovered thatthe Nazis were experimenting with inclined runways to shorten takeoff distance. Takingadvantage of the hill lying due east of the main field, engineers constructed a runway witha IO-degree rise, the remnants of which can still be seen today.

37

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/37bottomright.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/37bottomleft.html


38/84


39/84

The Armament Laboratory addressedthe immediate problem with Americanaircraft. Designed for maximum speedand maneuverability with heavy forwardfirepower, they were woefully lacking inother offensive weapons and defensivearmament. With the Allies urgentlycalling for modifications, the ArmamentLaboratory responded with developmentof armored, self-sealing fuel tanks,increased bombload capacity, gunturrets, and defensive armament. ThePower Plant Laboratory developed moreefficient engines with greater power andless weight. Although their work wasprimarily confined to conventionalpower-plants, they also oversaw thedevelopment of an American version ofthe British Whittle jet engine for theArmys first jet powered aircraft.

Aircraft research centered ondevelopment of technology for aircraft ofspecific types: attack, pursuit, bombing,transport, and training. As the Materiel Centers research and development staff wasforced to produce a final product more quickly, engineers became adept at transferringtechnology from one aircraft type to another. Attack aircraft needed to be highlymaneuverable and heavily armed and armored. Bombers needed to fly long distances,at low or high altitudes, and have sufficient power to perform their mission.

One of earliest fighters to gain recognition was the Lockheed P-38 Lightning,submitted for testing to Wright Field in 1939. Used for bomber escort, level bombing,dive bombing, ground strafing, and photo reconnaissance, the P-38s twin-boom tailadded tremendous strength while the opposing, rotating propellers enhanced stabilityand control characteristics. P-38s were responsible for downing more Japanese a ircraftin the Pacific than any other aircraft.

39



40/84

A magnificent single-engine fighterdesigned and produced specifically forthe war was North Americans P-51Mustang. Originally designed for theRoyal Air Force, the P-51 received muchattention by engineers at Wright Field.The first of nearly 15,000 Mustangsrolled off the assembly line in 1943. Asuperb bomber escort, the P-51, with aspeed of 400 miles per hour couldoutmaneuver most German or Japaneseaircraft. Used again in the Korean W ar,the P-51 continued active service intothe 1970s under the U.S. Air ForcesPave Coin program, as well as withforeign air forces around the world.

A new generation of attack aircraftbegan with the A-26 Invader, one of thefastest attack bombers of World War II.After placing an initial order of 1,150,production was halted after the war, andthe remaining aircraft were redesignatedB-26s, once the A designation wasdropped.

In 1934, Douglas and Boeing vied forthe contract to produce a medium

The Douglas A-26 invader flew in late Wodd War I,, and as the B-26in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

bomber for the Air Corps. Although Douglas won the contract after the Boeing Model299 crashed on the Wright Field, the Materiel Center expressed continued interest in theModel 299, when it exhibited capabilities that soon made all others obsolete. Model 299,redesignated YB-I 7, was a genuine heavy bomber. By the end of the production run in1943, 12,731 Flying Fortresses were procured. Models C through E had WrightCyclone 9 turbocharged engines capable of achieving altitudes unheard of for bombersat speeds approaching those of fighter aircraft. These capabilities allowed formations ofB-17s to mass together for daylight bombing raids protecting each other with a wideassortment of guns. The &17s Norden bombsight, along with the shift to daylightoperations, gave the aircraft a bombing accuracy never before possible.

40

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/40middle.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/40middle.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/40middle.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/40top.html


41/84


42/84


43/84


44/84

Unpowered gliders, used for dropping largenumbers of men and materiel into combatareas, played an important role in the Alliedvictory in Europe. The most important was theWaco CCi-4A Hadrian, the only U.S.-built gliderused in combat during World War II. Designedby the Waco Aircraft Company, located north ofDayton in Troy, Ohio, the glider was tested bythe Glider Branch of he Aircraft Laboratory atthe Clinton County Air Field near Wilmington,Ohio. Towed separately or in tandem by eithera C-47 or G54, thousands of WACO gliderswere used in the D-Day Normandy invasion inEurope.

Rotary wing technology was in its infancy inthe decades between the wars when WrightField engineers tested and evaluated severalversions, many submitted by pioneer lgorSikorsky. In May 1942, they tested theSikorsky XR-4 that led to the first productionhelicopters outside Germany. Wartime use ofthe helicopter was confined mainly to rescuework over land and water.

A new era in aviation history began with the Armys first jet-powered aircraft.Successful testing of the British-designed Whittle engine at Wright Field led GeneralArnold to order the immediate construction of an American jet-powered aircraft Theresulting Bell XP-59A Airacomet was developed in utmost secrecy, guarded by giving itthe same designation as a proposed, twin-boom pusher, propeller-driven aircraft that wasnever produced. Though the XP-59A was underpowered and failed to perform at a levelthat would qualify it for combat, it served a useful role as a technology demonstrator.

In 1944, Major Ezra Kotcher undertook pioneering work that led to the firstsupersonic airplane, the Bell XB-1 (X-l). Kotcher was convinced that the speed of sound(approximately 760 mph at sea level) was not a barrier to future flight, but rather aphysical condition that could be overcome with careful design. The first of two X-1sbuilt, Glamorous Cilennis, became the worlds first airplane to break the sound barrieron 14 October 1947, piloted by former Wright Field test pilot, Captain Charles E.Yeager.

44

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/44middle.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/44top.html


45/84

Capt ChuckYeagerUpon graduation Fm m high school in 15341, Char les E.

Yeager enl isted I the Army Afr Corps. After a superbpetfommn ce es a double ace f lghtarpi lot In Europe, Yeagerbansi t loned horn combat to test pi /ot at Wright FieldGespite the fact that he was a captain with 1,100 f ly inghours, Yeager did not have the formal education to qua/t@as a test pi lot. His expadenca did quaMy him to be anAssistant Maintenance Off icer in the Fighter Test Section,where he was raquhsd to test f ly the planes after maim%nance before turning them over to the test pi lots. He offenengaged test pilots in dog-f iahts. where his cool .

capt cf lades E. veager.(Photo mn%y of Air FonxMllSWll)

a~gm isive flying skil l gainedthe mnfsdence of Col Albwt0. Boyd, the Chiefof theFl ight Test Divis ion. SeeingYeagefs potentfal . Co/ Boydsent h/m to test pi lot schoolfor intermive training in thedatagathedn g and reportingm.ethods -ssaty kwdetermtnina soecttk l imits ofaircraft A-& Yeagergraduated, Cal Royd namedhim as principal test pllot forthe Bel l -X- l , the cm ft das-t inedtoflypastthespeedofsolld.

During 19 45, Capt Yeager senwd 8.3 Assistant Maintenance CMicer in *heFighter lest SeeS on OF the Flight Test Dhklan at Wdght Fiehl. p h&of Air Force

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/45top.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/45top.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/45top.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/45middle.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/45middle.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/45middle.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/45bottom.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/45middle.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/45top.html


46/84

Post WorldWar II and F ollowing the war and theestablishment of an independent AirForce in 1947, Wright and Patterson Fieldswere consolidated in 1948. In 1950 the AirForce announced the creation of a separatecommand for research and development. Thesubsequent activation of the Air Research andDevelopment Command in 1951 placed theprincipal elements of engineering, thelaboratories, and flight testing under the WrightAir Development Center (WADC) at Wright-

the Cold War

Patterson Air Force Base.During the 1950s, WADC was responsible for aeronautical development in the Air

Force. Comprising seven divisions including Weapons Systems, Weapons Components,Research, Aeronautics, All-Weather Flying, Flight Test, and Materiel, and 12 laboratories,WADC conducted research and development efforts by means of Weapon System ProjectOffices (WSPOs). The WSPO concept originated from World War II German missiledevelopment, where missile designers were forced to focus on the entire system ratherthan simply build an airframe, then hang engines, avionics, and armament on it. Thisoriginal concept has evolved into the System Program Offices (SPOs) of today.

Engineers at Wright Field evaluated captured foreign a ircraft during and after WorldWar II. Aircraft brought to Wright Field included allied aircraft such as the Russian YAK-9and the British Spitfire and Mosquito, and enemy aircraft including the GermanJU-88, ME-109, FW-190, ME-262, andthe Japanese Zero.

Out of need for a secret location totest experimental aircraft, the flighttesting of airframes moved to RogersDry Lake, Muroc, California, later namedthe Air Force Flight Test Center, EdwardsAir Force Base. Some flight testingcontinued at Wright-Patterson but wasconfined to component and instrumenttesting and other specialized kinds offlight test.

46



47/84

The most important addition topostwar flight testing at WrightField was all-weather testing. Itrepresented the first majorattempt to solve the manyproblems encountered in flyingunder all weather conditions, bothday and night. The lessonslearned from the research duringthis activity were successfullyapplied in Operation Vittles, theBerlin Airlift from June 1948-May1949.

Aircraft developed and fieldedduring World War II continued tobe modified and used during the 1950s. The B-26 became an important aircraft in theNATO defense system, and 450 Invaders were pressed into service during the KoreanWar. Later, in 1964, they were modified into the B-26K and used for counterinsurgencyduring the Vietnam War. The B-29 continued to be used in a conventional role, although

considered by the time of the KoreanWar to be only a medium bombercompared to the B-36.

The 6-36 Peacemaker was flownby the newly formed Strategic AirCommand during the early years of theCold War. Other 8-36s continued in usefor reconnaissance and test purposes.The MB-36H model carried a workingnuclear reactor on board for atomicexperimentation. The C-47 GooneyBird saw action during the Berlin Airlift,the Korean War, and was reconfigured asthe AC-47 Puff the Magic Dragongunship for use in the Vietnam War.



48/84

Fred D. Orazio, Sr.Fmd Orazio was commissioned a reserve second l ieutenant in

the Army Corps of Engineers a&r graduating from Carnegie Insti tuteof Technology in 1934. whi le assigned to a uni t in Debvtt he ini tral tyworked as a des/gn engineer for the automobi le industry. In 1939, atthe onset of Wor ld War I i , he came to Wright Field where he played acentral m/e in the greatest expansion of mi l i tary aeronautics inhistory. Ourtng the war he helped mod@ the S-29 b cany an atomicbomb and contr ibuted pml imi~ry design studies for the fhst Mach 1jet powered alrcraff. Fotlowhrg the war ha was involved in advanctngcr i t ical revokdionary technotogy developments including supemonlcf l tghf mic pmpulston for akwaff the Al? Forces man- in-spaceprogram, and the ewkdion of the systam s approach to ahcrat? andspacecraft As Orazio pmgm ssed thmi#gh a ser ies of senior man-agement posttJons, fhst In the System s Engineer ing Group ( laterASDs D eputy for Engineer ing) and the Deputy for Development Planning (ASLVXR), he encour-aged the adaptation of system s analysis in the design and costing of ever more complex aem-space vehicles and their suppoti Infrastm ctums . When he ret/red in 1975 he had laid the gmund-work to acquire the weapon system s our wart ighters rely on today - the 51, F-15, F-16, A-10,and GS alrcrat% When Fred Orazio f i rst came to Wright Field i t was a smal l , undeffunded m-search and development center in the Midwest His l i fetime contr ibution to aeronautical researchand development served to advance a wkk vartety of revolutionary aeronautical technologies andcontr ibuted signi f icantly to making Wrfght-Patterson AFS one of the centers of the cold warmir i tary- industr ial complex - a legacy that ASC carr ies into the 2P century.

WADC developed two workhorse aircraft during the 1950s -- the &52 Stratofortressand C-130 Hercules. In April 1952, the YB-52 made its first flight. The B-52 has had along and distinguished career, from serving as a strategic deterrent during the Cold Warto dropping conventional weapons during Vietnam and Desert Storm, to carrying ShortRange Attack Missiles (SRAMs) and Air-launched Cruise Missiles (ALCMs) today. In 1955,the first G130A rolled out, the first transport aircraft produced under the WSPO concept.The G130, initially built to early personnel and equipment, was modified for varyingpurposes, including as gunships in Vietnam, and most recently for support of SpecialOperations Forces.

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/48bottomright.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/48bottomleft.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/48top.html


49/84


50/84


51/84

In December 1957, WrightField engineers began work onthe X-20 Dyna Soar, an orbitalvehicle capable of maneuverablere-entry and conventional landing.Design criteria includedwithstanding dynamic pressuresup to 1,020 pounds per squarefoot and veloc ities up to 25,000feet per second withtemperatures of 3,650 degrees Mock-up of the X-20 Dyna Soar ifthg body re-enhy vehicleFahrenheit. Although the program was terminated in December 1963 in favor of theManned Orbita l Laboratory, the research was later applied to the development of theSpace Shuttle.

In the late 1950s. WADC used its C- I3 I B, the Weightless Wonder, and later itsKC-135 to acclimate astronauts to the sensations and conditions of space flight. Knownas the Zero-G Program, the effort was designed to prepare astronauts for the Gemini,Apollo, and Skylab space projects. One of the astronauts who participated in theprogram was Neil Armstrong, a native Ohioan, who in July 1969, became the first man towalk on the moon.

Neil A. ArmstrongNai l A. Armrtmng got his pi lot s l icense at age 16, even before he got his dr iver s l icense. After

receiving his bachelors degraa In aeronauffcal engineer ing fbm P urdue, he earned his Navy wings atPensacola Naval Air Stagon. Dur ing the Korean War, he f lew Panther&& horn the carder Essex. Hewas shot down behindenemy l ines and rescued,whi le accumulating 78combat missions. Afterthe war, Annstrong joidNACA and Hew the mcket -powaradx-Wto heights of2OWSS feet and spaadsof 4,OSS mi les per hour.Ne beoame an astronautin lS62. In July lSfW, ascommandwofApoUo 11,Nei l A; Annslmng was thefi rst human to twch lunar

Agmaut Nei lsoil.

m- , , HH1w mantowalkonthe~.

5,

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/51top.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/51top.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/51top.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/51bottomleft.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/51bottomleft.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/51bottomleft.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/51bottomleft.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/51bottomright.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/51bottomleft.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/51top.html


52/84


53/84

included a series of programs to develop superior turbine engine powerplants focusingon the engine cores, complete demonstrator engines, and aircraft-power-plantcompatibility. Today all three efforts continue under the Integrated High PerformanceTurbine Engine Technology (IHPTET) initiative which seeks to double thrust-to-weightengine performance by the early 2 1st century.

Operating under the Systems Program Office concept @PO), a successor to the WSPO,and motivated by a study identifying future requirements called Project FORECAST, ASDembarked on the development of a series of new weapons systems. In 1964, the P-1 11was introduced as a joint-service variable-sweep wing aircraft. The F-l 1 1 was to be used

by the Air Force as a tactical fighter (F-l 1 lA), areconnaissance plane (RF-1 lA1, and abomber (FB-111). In addition, the Navy was touse it as a fighter-bomber (F-l 118).Possessing unique capabilities, the F-l 11, withi ,~, . T the wing extended, could operate from short,i *y- .,; :.p ~,

The F-777, a multi-role fighter, was introduced as a bi- unimproved landing strips and fly at very lowservice, variable-sweep wing aircraff in 1964. speeds. With the wing swept back, it could flyat both high and low altitudes at supersonic speeds up to Mach 2.5, about 1,665 mph.

Also in 1964, ASD recorded another step forward in American aviation with the first ofa fleet of fanjet G141 Star-lifters. The G14lA jet transport, with its mechanized loadingsystem, could respond immediately with troops and equipment to trouble spotsanywhere on the globe. Traveling as fast as a commercial airliner, the Starlifter was thefirst jet aircraft that could carry both cargo and litter patients. Weighing about 315,000pounds at takeoff, the aircraft could carry a 60,000 pound load more than 4,000 miles,or 30,000 pounds for over 5,500 miles. The C-141 soon proved its worth in thestrategic airlifting of personnel and materials into combat areas in Southeast Asia andreturning wounded to the United States.

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/53top.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/53top.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/53top.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/53top.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/53top.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/53top.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/53top.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/53top.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/53top.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/53bottom.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/53top.html


54/84


55/84

Other systems appearing in the 1960s included the SK-7 1 reconnaissance aircraft,the XC-l42A vertica l and short takeoff and landing aircraft, the YF-1 2A advanced, long-range interceptor, the RF-4C reconnaissance version of the F-4, and the giant C-5Atransport. Further development of the C-130 included the beetle-nosed HC-13OH.modified and fitted for extensive avion ics equipment and a rescue and recoverysubsystem. Designed for military rescue operations, the HC-13OH was also used forrecovery of crews and hardware from returning National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration (NASA) space flights.

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/55bottom.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/55topright.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/55topleft.html


56/84


57/84


58/84


59/84

Other systems developed in the 1970s included the B-IA, the A-IO, the Maverickmissile, the Short Range Attack Missile @RAM), and the Air Launched Cruise Missile(ALCM). Conceived in the 1960s under the Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft studies,the B-IA multi-role, long-range strategic bomber emerged in 1974. Although theproduction program was canceled in 1977 with only four test aircraft built, it wasreinstated in 1981. The B-1 8, an updated and modernized version, was produced andfielded in the mid-1980s. introduced in 1974, the A-IO Thunderbolt 11provided the AirForce with the capability of destroying heavily armored and mechanized equipment. TheA-10 was outfitted with the GAUSA 30mm Ciatling gun for destroying tanks and other

The Boeing AGM-86A Air-launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) was carriedand launched from a 8.52.

59

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/59bottomleft.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/59bottomleft.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/59middleright.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/59bottomleft.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/59middlelefttop.html


60/84


61/84


62/84


63/84


64/84

The Air Force Wright Aeronautical Labora tories continued to advance weapon systemcapabilities through science and technological innovation. The Avionics and MaterialsLabora tories focused on VHSIC, the application of very high speed integrated circuits thatwould allow advanced avionics architectures to integrate many aircraft subsystems suchas weapons delivery, flight controls, and communications into smaller, more reliablesubsystems. The Avionics and Flight Dynamics Labora tories coordina ted research on anallglass cockpit of the future that would allow a pilot, through voice activation, to mix orenhance data presen ted in picture-like symbols on one large TV-like screen.

During the early 1980% the 4950th Test Wing bought and modified Boeing 707sfrom American Airlines to use as improved EC-18s for its ARIA mission. With the EC-18,the crews would use a Sonobouy Missile Impact Location System (SMILS) to track andscore the impact of re-entry vehicles. Other flight test programs included the Mark XVIdentification Friend or Foe (IFF), a tri-service and NATO project to develop a new systemto identify friendly aircraft: the El Tail Warning Capability, a system to detect airbornethreats approaching from the rear of the aircraft; the development of the ElectronicCounter-countermeasures (ECCM)/Advanced Radar Test Bed (ARTB), a system capable ofevaluating airborne fire-control radars and sensors in an ECCM environment: and M&star,a high-priority program to develop the nations next genera tion military satellitecommunications system.

64



65/84


66/84

As it developed this new vision, the Air Force reorganized its research, development,procurement, and sustainment structure. In 1992 the Air Force Logistics Command andthe Air Force Systems Command merged to form the Air Force Materiel Command(AFMC). AFMC became responsible for the full spectrum of activities necessary toprovide systems to the warfighter and to support them from cradle to grave. With thecreation of AFMC, the Aeronautical Systems Division became the Aeronautical SystemsCenter (AX), acquiring the 2750th (now 88th) Air Base Wing and the Wright-PattersonMedical Center (now the 74th Medical Group) as subordinate units. Over the decade ASCexperienced other changes to its assigned units. In 1994 the 4950th Test Winginactivated, ending a SO-year tradition of flight test at Wright-Patterson APB . In 1997 theWright Laboratory, part of ASC since 1982, became part of the new Air Force ResearchLaboratory, while in 1998 armament program offices located at F.glin AFB, Florida, werereassigned to the new Air Armament Center. At the same time in 1998, the HumanSystems Center at Brooks AFB became the 3 1 1 th Human Systems Wing and wasassigned to ASC. Through all of these changes the Aeronautical Systems Center (AX )retained its leading role in the acquisition of new systems and the upgrade andmodification of existing systems to support the Air Forces Core Competencies into the2 1 st Century.

Global Attack and Precision EngagementThe Post-Cold War period presented the Air Force with a tough challenge: Be prepared

to engage anywhere in the world, using both lethal and non-letha l means, to deterpotential threats and to apply responsive combat power. During the Cold War the AirForce could rely on a network of overseas bases, but the 1990s saw major reductions inforces permanently based overseas. Increasingly, assets for these missions would bebased in the continental United States, requiring the ability to deploy and, if necessary, tostrike swiftly with superior forces.

This change, combined with a continued requirement for nuclear deterrence, drovethe continued acquisition and upgrade of long-range bomber forces. Under AX smanagement, the ElB , designed in the 1970s and built in the 1980s as a deterrent to

nuclear attack on the U.S., was transformed inthe 1990s into a conventional weaponsplatform, flying its last nuclear training missionin 1997. That same year a B-l B demonstratedthe employment of the CBU-97 Sensor FuzedWeapon, leading Air Combat CommandsGeneral Richard E. Hawley to comment If youwant to kill armor, I cant think of a better way todo it than with a B-1 8. The B-I B followed thisup in 1998 with a demonstration of the Joint

66



67/84


68/84

in Operation DESERT FOX inDecember 1998. and deployed toAviano AB, Italy early in 1999 withAir Expeditionary Forces supportingNATO operations in the Balkans.

No American soldier, sailor, or L

Our abili ty to dominate the air battle has enabled everymodem m ilitary success, from the Normandy inva.sion inWorld War/l to the daring Left Hook of Desert Storm.-GM. Richard E. Hawley,Commander, ir Combat Command

marine has been forced to fight while under air attack since the Korean War. In the 2 1stCentury, the Air Force will be seeking to continue this record and to establish AirDominance at the outset of any conflict. Air Dominance will not only protect Americansurface forces from enemy air attack, but willforce opponents to fight blind. To achieve AirDominance in the 21st Century, ASC hasdeveloped the F-22 Raptor, which will replacethe F-15 as the Air Forces premier fighteraircraft. ASC began the Advanced TacticalFighter program in I98 1, leading to the creationand testing of two competitive prototypes. In1991 the Secretary of the Air Force announcedthe selection of theF-22, which combines the advantages ofmaneuverable stealth, supersonic cruise withoutafterburners, and an unprecedented integrationof advanced avionics and weapons. The productof exhaustive Engineering and ManufacturingDevelopment, the first F-22 took to the air inSeptember 1997. The Air Force awardedcontracts for two Production Representative TestVehicles in 1998, and the F-22 will enter servicein the first decade of the 21st Century. Throughits Air Combat System Program Office, ASC alsosupports development of the Joint Strike Fighter(JSF), scheduled to enter service with the U. S.Air Force, Navy, and Marines in 2008. In 1996the Department of Defense selected contractorteams led by the Boeing Company and LockheedMartin Corporation to build two flying conceptdemonstrator aircraft each. In 2001 the U. S.government will select one of the two concepts,designated the X-32 and the X-35 respectively.

Boen ig X-32, Air Force version, Artists Conception

68

http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/68middle.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/68bottom.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/68middle.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/asc/68top.html


69/84

Despite the efforts to modernize equipment through new combat aircraft (the B-Z, theF-22, and the JSF), the Air Force also faced an unprecedented aging of existing weaponsystems. Budgetary constraints, national security demands, and lengthenedprocurement cycles all dictated that systems in the USAF inventory would serve longerthan ever before in history. The B-52, conceived in the 1940s and last produced in1962, would be active beyond the turn of the century. The F-15 and the F-16, whosebasic designs went back to the 1960s and the early 1970s respectively, were expectedto remain in use until 2020, if not longer. To remain viable as combat aircraft in the faceof new technologies and new threats, bo th aircraft progressed through numerousupgrades to expand their capabilities. In addition to managing the research,development, and acquisition of these upgrades, AX also managed the acquisition ofnew aircraft of both types to serve as attrition reserves. The F-15 demonstrated itsformidable capabilities in the Gulf War when USAF and Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s shotdown more than 87% of the Iraqi aircraft destroyed in aerial combat. Iraqi aircraftdowned included some of the most modern fighters in the world, produced by both theSoviet Union and France. ASC supported that effort with a rapid test program to addressthe problem of sandblasting of F-15 cockpit canopies in the harsh desert environment.Since that time, upgrades to software, avionics, and weapons interfaces have been toonumerous to mention in detail. Among these was the Rapid Targeting Capabilityintegrated into F-15E cockpits, which allows the F-15E to receive video o r still imagesfrom reconnaissance platforms like the Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, the U-2, orthe Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS). The system can thentranspose the images over a satellite photo and match them in real time to provideprecise coordinates for mobile targets on the ground. The system was fielded in 1996to aircraft supporting U. S. operations in the Balkans. Similarly, ASCs F-16 SystemProgram Office managed the continuous upgrade of the F-16, as ever-more-capableaircraft replaced earlier models in the USAF inventory. While long-term projects like theF-16 Mid-Life Upgrade Program extended over many years, ASC also responded toimmediate requirements from the operational commands. Thus in 1996 the F-16 SPOused a streamlined acquisition process to develop and deliver the Sure Strike precisiontargeting system to selected F-16s supporting the NATO Implementation Force in Bosnia.An acquisition surge response provided a retrofit to make cockpits and external lightingof 43 Block 40 F-16s at Aviano AB, Italy, compatible with Night Vision Goggles, again forservice over Bosnia.

69


70/84

Balkan proximity peace talksWright-Patterson Air Force Base took center

stage es a forum for wor ld peace on October 18,1995, when Secm tery of State Warren Chr istopherannounced that the base would host peace talksbehvee the warr ing part ies I the Balkans confl ict.The base w as selected due to i ts excel lent air f ield,convenient a/r connections, pr ivacy, secur i ty, and/ogist ica/ support. I ts main adventege wes the closeproximity of the Hope Hotel and conference faci l it iesto the Visi ting Ohicers Quarters that gave the StateDepartment a diplomatic compound with separate butidentical facil ities for each delegation.

Lt. Gen.Lawrence P. Farrel l. Jr . the AFM C vicecomma nder, directed Wright-Pattersons supportoperations with the assistance of a base supportteem drawn pr imar i ly from the 88th Air Base W ing. The teem faced e chal lenging ser ies of teske and onlyten days in which to accompl ish them. Mi l i tary end civil ian perronn~~ecmss the base, reservists, and theDayton comm unity immediately pi tched In to make the talks e succes s

Civi l engineers constructed e secure base w/thin the bese to house the peace talks complex Theyprepared the VOQs and converted 24 rooms into 12 presidential sui tes that met State Depertn?etspech9cations for s ize, decor, and amenit ies. They even hrsteiled the Peece Walk, e l ighted, meendertngsidewalk, so delegates could w alk from their quarters to the Hope Hotel s m eeting rooms and dining area

Base operations supervised airspace control , diplomatic anivals and depeftums, and support ofpresidential ai rcraft. Logist ic ians f i lled supply requests, mo ved equipment, handled diplomatic cargo,operated a dedicated f leet of vehicles with a force of volunteers. The 47th Aidi f t Fl ight establ ished eAlpha Aler t comm itment wi th i ts C-21 alrcreft from November l -28 and launched six sort lee dur ing thetalks.

Comm unicattons technicians installed telephone and computer netw orks;set up databases, andmanaged air frequencies. The ASC Mult imedia Center generated graphics, p ubl ications, pr int ing, anddesigned the peace talks logo.

Base off ic ials also deel t wi th many other tasks. They arranged for food senr ice, attended to therel igious needs of the delegates, and provided secur i ty. Finance end contracting special ists acquiredgoods and services. Publ ic affeirs operated e media center where 571 journal ists received eccredi tet ionand 470 press representatives from 166 organizations and twenty nations we m supported dur ing peekoperations. Protocol d&es ranged from pmpetfng welcome peckegee b hosting dlplomatc events andsetthrg up bi lateral and tr iiaterei meetings. The Dayton comm unity also lent i ts support One of i i% meetrecognized contr ibutions was the Peace Watt In the Hope Hotel . The wel l wee f i lled with letters anddrawings from Dayton-area school chi ldren encouraging the delegates to br ing peace to their troubledlands.

The Balkan Pmx/m ity Peace Talks began November 1.1995. Ambassador Richard C. Holbmokehosted the talks. The major pert ic ipents were Presktent Al@ lzetbegovic, Republ ic of Bosnia-Herzegovina; President Slobodan Mi losevic, Federal Republ ic of Yugoslavia; President Frenjo Tudjman,Republ ic of Croatia. The Eurvpeen Union, Republ ic of France, Federei Rep ubl ic of Germany, Russia, andUnited Kingdom also faci l itated the negotiat ions. Their goal wes to pmserve Bosnia es e single stetecontaining Ihe Musl im-Croat Federetion and a Bosnia Serb enti ty; msotve boundary issues between theBosnia-Cmet Federation and the Bosnia Serb enti ty; sett le the status of Serejevo; and set for th steps toseparate the brces, end hosti l it ies, and return refugees to their homes . Ea t imism feded es borderdisputes bogged the negotiat ions. At the last mom ent, diplomatsbroke the deadlock end saved the talks. On November 21, 1995the delegates gathered in the Hope Hotel where the y signed theGeneral Framewo rk Agreement for Peace In Bosnia andHerzegovina.

Wright-Patterson received many honors for i ts work. Thehighest honor cane from Secretary of State Warren Chr istopherwho wrote the 88th Air Base Wing comman der:

The hard work, super iorpetfommnce and cheerful enthusi-asm which you end your col leagues brought to this effor t were keyelements in the successful conclusion of the Talks.

L



71/84


72/84


73/84


74/84


75/84


76/84


77/84


78/84


79/84


80/84


81/84


82/84


83/84

AX AWARD WINNERSTHEODORE VON KARMAN AWARDThe Theodore von Rarman Award is named for the re-

nowned Hungarian-American aerodynamacist and visionarystrategic planner, who, together with Gen Hemy H. HapArnold, forged modem Air Force research and development.In 1945 he completed two landmark studies, Where WeStand and Toward New Horizons: Science, the Key to AirSupremacy, in which he analyzed ailpower during the WorldWar II era, assessed current technology, and provided a roadmap for aerospacedevelopment in the postwar era. The von Rarman Award is now presentedyearly by the Ah Force Association to honor the most outstanding contributionto national defense in the field of science and engineering.1971 Mr Fred D. Orazio, Sr., Scientific Director, Aeronautical Systems Divisionfor distinguished service in the field of aerospace science and engineering.1982 Aeronautical Systems Division and its over 8,000 people for develop-ment, test, and procurement of Air Force aircraft, simulators, and related sub-systems.1986 Lt Gen Thomas H. McMullen, USAF (Ret), for his leadershipas commander of the Aeronautical Systems Division.1987 Advanced Fighter Technology Integration (AFTI) F-16 pro-gram for dramatically demonstrating new combat capabilities achievablethrough a highly automated and integrated weapon system.1990 &2 Test Team for test and evaluation of the R-2design, validating 10 years of simulation and groundtesting.1994 B-2 System Program Office, Oklahoma Air Logistics Center, &Z Com-bined Test Force, Air Force Flight Test Center, Site Activation Task Force, andthe 6-2 Mission P lanning System Development Office for management of theB2 stealth bomber program, surpassing sustainability goats, and dramaticallyimproving production efficiency and schedules.

83



84/84

medallion bearing the Air Force seal.

1976 Lieutenant Cenerat James T. Stewart, Commander,Aeronautical Systems Division

1989 Lieutenant Cienerat John M. Loh, Commander,Aeronautical Systems Division

1991 Major Cenerai James A. Fain, Jr, Director,Advanced Tactical Fighter System Program Office.

ASCAWARD WINNERSEUGENEM.ZUCKERTMANAGEMENTAWARDThe Eugene M. Zuckert Management award is presented yearly to recognize

outstanding top-level Ah Force managers. The award is named after Eugene M.Zuckert, who sewed as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force from 1947 until1932 and Secretary of the Air Force from 1961 through 1965. SecretaryZuckert was a staunch advocate of teaming between the military and civilianworkforce to capitalize on the militarys knowledge of war-fighting and the conti-nuity provided by civilians. The Zuckert Management Award is a mahoganyplaque bearing the Air Force coat of amrs and individual silver plates with thename of each winner. Recipients keep the award for one year until passing itto the next winner. Honorees also receive a citation and 2-inch silver-plated


Wright-Patterson AFB History

Documents

Transcript of Wright-Patterson AFB History